


Strasbourg

by IcyJadeXOXO, Section Eight Entertainment (IcyJadeXOXO)



Series: The Hunter Chronicles [5]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Action/Adventure, Backstory, Gen, Home Invasion, Neal Caffrey - Freeform, new characters introduced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-04
Updated: 2011-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyJadeXOXO/pseuds/IcyJadeXOXO, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyJadeXOXO/pseuds/Section%20Eight%20Entertainment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex gets distracted and a lot of things go wrong as the Vadzel crew takes a job in France as a favour for a person from Aretha's past. My take on how Alex was arrested in France (her only record) and why the charges were mysteriously dropped. Follows "Thieves".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. CHAPTER ONE

**Author's Note:**

> ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN FANFICTION.NET JAN. 04, 2011
> 
> Author's Notes : Another story set before Alex and Neal saw each other again in "Home Invasion". First attempt to write an action caper story. Constructive criticisms are welcome, just please don't be too harsh.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer : I don't own any of the recognizable characters. They belong to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network.

**  
CHAPTER ONE   
**

  


  


  


* * *

**STRASBOURG, FRANCE**

Alex struggled to see through the thick smoke as she tried to find her way out of the room that was now engulfed in flames. She stopped in her tracks. Without warning, the sound of a single gunshot rang in the air. As she felt some of the bullet's impact on her left collar bone, Alex's body slammed against the wall, her head hitting hard against the concrete. Her body slumped to the floor. As she fought to stay conscious, she heard two male voices talking in French.

 _"Elle est morte. Allons-y!"_  [ _"She's dead. Let's go!"_ ] the first voice said.  **Alain Dupuis** , she recognized that voice.

 _"Non, nous avons besoin obtenir l'ordinateur portable!"_  [ _"No, we need to get the laptop!"_ ] the other voice said. That would be  **Gilles Dupuis** , Alain's equally crooked older brother.

 _"Juste que le feu détruire ! Nous avons besoin de sortir d'ici, maintenant !"_  [ _"Just let the fire destroy it! We need to get out of here, now!"_ ] the younger Dupuis yelled.

Alex heard them leave in a hurry. She tried to use her earpiece to call her team for help, but it wasn't working. She looked at the com link transceiver clipped on her jacket and saw that it was busted.

"Aretha!" she called before she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK TO THE WEEK BEFORE, BACK IN BUDAPEST**...

Alex and Nicholas are now back in her son's room at the manor. They just came home from spending most of the the day at the park and a little shopping. Their little adventure outside of Vadzel was a bit tiring for little Nicholas, who is currently fast asleep in his crib. Alex tucked him in and gave him a kiss. She then proceeded to put away the things she had bought for Nicholas earlier. She didn't really know why she bought all of those when she knew that Nicholas still have a lot of clothes he hasn't worn yet. She noticed that there were still unused stuff in the baby closet, mostly gifts from friends that Nicholas' got on his birthday just a few months ago. She had only opened and used the gifts that came from close friends and family, and put everything else away.

Alex remembered that day well. Nicholas' first birthday. Alex thought that it was just going to be a small party, with only the people in the manor attending. She didn't know that Aretha, who seemed to live to surprise people, had paid for all the expenses so that Hale and his family could visit them and spend the holidays at the manor. Alex was more than delighted. So far, her Christmases in Hungary have been the most memorable, with the year when Nicholas was born as her top favourite. This past one was by far one of the happiest, since it was Nicholas' birthday and she had her family and friends with her for the holidays.

 _If only Caffrey were here, then everything would've been perfect._ she thought.

She shifted her gaze back to the beautiful child sleeping in the room. She wanted so much for Nicholas to have normal family life, both loved by his mother and his father. But then again, there aren't a lot about her's and Neal's lives that were considered as normal. Last time she'd heard, the jury was about ready to give a verdict regarding Neal's case. Alex remained optimistic, but there was this persistent feeling of queasiness in the pit of her stomach. Her gut was telling her that something was about to go very wrong.

* * *

Alex went to find Aretha after she left Nicholas' room. She wanted to know if there had been any new jobs for them to do. The past several weeks without a single case have been like a vacation for all of them. It was a welcomed period of rest for the whole crew. They all did their own thing. Asher kept busy by playing his online role-playing games. Zeke cleaned all of his guns and rearranged the munitions section of their lair. Alex spent most of her time with Nicholas. As for Aretha, well, no one really knew how Aretha spent her downtime. But that was then, and now would be a good time to come back to work. Zeke was already bored of doing nothing after the first week of vacation. He decided that Alex should learn archery, which was fun for her at first. Then, Zeke decided that Alex would also benefit with some jungle survival training.

That's where Alex drew the line.  _No way! I don't do jungles!_ Alex had been avoiding Zeke and had been staying as far away as possible from the lair since then. _Yup, it was definitely time to get back to work!_

Edina had mentioned earlier that Aretha had a female visitor in her study. So she made her way to the Aretha's office, hoping to meet this woman. She peeked through the glass on the door of the office. She saw Aretha and the visitor having what seemed to be a pleasant conversation. Alex caught glimpse of the visitor, but not enough to see her face. Then Aretha saw Alex snooping so she excused herself and stepped outside of the office.

 _"What do you think you're doing?"_  Aretha asked her.

 _"Well, Edina told me you have a visitor. Just curious as to who she is!"_  Alex replied.

 _"I'll explain later!"_  Aretha told her.

 _"You will explain now! Come on! Who is she? Your best friend? Your secret sister, perhaps? Your lesbian lover?"_ Alex wiggled her eyebrows at Aretha when she mentioned the last part.

 _"You watch way too much telly, Alex!"_  Aretha replied. She continued,  _"If you must know, she was_ _my mentor. Come on in. I'll introduce you."_  They both went inside the office.

* * *

Alex saw the woman inside the office. A strikingly beautiful woman in her mid 40's. She was slightly taller than Alex, had long, straight, black hair, stunning golden brown, round shaped eyes and lovely full lips. She looked like she belonged in a billboard endorsing a beauty product.

Aretha spoke first.  _"Alexandra Hunter, I would like to introduce you to my oldest friend, Miss_ _ **Valerie Vega**_ _. Valerie Vega, I would like you to meet my associate and good friend, Miss Alexandra Hunter."_ she said.

Valerie held out her hand to shake Alex's and with a Spanish accent said  _"Pleased to meet you, Miss Hunter. Aretha had spoke highly of you in our conversation."_

Alex shook her hand.  _"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Vega. It's not very often that I get to meet any of Aretha's close friends."_  she replied.

Alex had enjoyed hearing Aretha and Valerie's tales of how they met and became good friends. Valerie regaled Alex with stories of how she had plucked Aretha from obscurity, to which Aretha objected.

 _"Oi! I was never obscure!"_  she said.

Alex noticed the deep bond of friendship and trust between the two. And she didn't feel jealous at all. It was comforting to know that Aretha wasn't all alone in life before she had met Alex. Alex listened to more of Valerie's tales of how she had made sure that Aretha had mastered everything she taught her before she had decided that it's time for her to retire from the life of crime. There was a glint of sadness mixed with joy as she told Alex their story. It all seemed so nice, but Valerie's tone implied that she was leaving something out. Alex got curious.

Alex began to ask questions.  _"So, that's it then? You came here just to reminisce and wax nostalgic over your past adventures?"_  she said, trying very hard not to sound rude.

Valerie looked at Aretha.  _"You warned me that she was good."_  she said with a smile.

Aretha nodded and then turned her attention to Alex.  _"Valerie is here to give us an assignment, Alex."_  she explained.

Alex was confused.  _"An assignment? What do you mean?"_  she asked.

It was Valerie who answered.  _"You see Alex, I said that I retired from the life of crime. I didn't stay fully retired from the game. Look, I'm sure that Aretha's told you of the cases she worked on for various covert international government agencies. Let's just say that I work for one of those agencies."_  She looked at Alex and tried to gage her reaction.

 _"You're a spy?"_ Alex asked her.

Valerie shook her her.  _"No. Not quite. I work for the UNSC."_  she said.

 _"You mean the United Nations Security Council? That UNSC?"_  Alex asked.

 _"Yes, that UNSC. I am what you would call a 'power broker'. One of the few that the UN have working in Western Europe."_  Valerie began to explain.

"W _ait, what exactly is a 'power broker'?"_  Alex asked again.

 _"A 'power broker' is a person that the UNSC hires to ensure that the balance of power is maintained between the countries who are members of the Union. Basically, we make sure that one nation doesn't harbor any form of harmful technological devices or weapons of mass destruction that is not sanction by the United Nations."_ Valerie explained to her.

Alex wanted to ask more questions but decided to just let Valerie speak.

" _About a month ago, the UNSC had confiscated the operating system for a_ _ **microwave laser**_   _from the Chinese government. Two weeks ago, the laptop containing the operating system was stolen from what we thought was a secured location. We've recently heard word from our contacts that the Chinese Defense Ministry had hired thieves to steal the laptop back from the Council."_  Valerie took a deep breathe and continued.  _"If this operating system makes it back to China, they will have the technology to build a directed energy weapon that can_ _be fired at any aimed direction without any need for any projectile. China could fire at any of their enemies and we won't know it until it hits. Now, do you understand why we want it back?"_ she asked them _._

Alex and Aretha both nodded. This would mean chaos for all the nations not allied with China.

After a brief pause, Alex spoke.  _"Do you have any information as to who had stolen the laptop?"_  she asked.

Valerie nodded.  _"Yes, we do. Thieves named Gilles and Alain Dupuis. They are brothers, from France. Last time we heard, they took the laptop back to France with them. They are currently back in Strasbourg awaiting instructions as to when they will make the exchange with the Chinese."_  Valerie replied.

Alex shook her head.  _"I know them. The Dupuis brothers. I had a nasty encounter with them years ago back in Ukraine."_  Alex said. She saw Aretha raised an eyebrow. She ignored Aretha's questioning looks and continued.  _"These two like to play rough. Not too smart though. But whatever they lack in brains, they more than make up for in brawns. This could get ugly."_ Alex said in a serious tone.

 _"We've handled ugly situations before!"_  Aretha answered.

Aretha then reassured Valerie that they, to the best of their abilities, will recover the stolen laptop. Valerie told them to contact her office for anything they will require for the ' _Strasbourg operation_ '. It will be provided for them, no questons asked. With that, she said goodbye to both Alex and Aretha and left.

Aretha looked at the silent Alex and asked,  _"So, how is it that you know the Dupuis brothers? I don't remember doing a job involving them in the past."_

Alex sighed.  _"It was a job I did from my friend Mozzie."_  she replied vaguely. She turned the tables on Aretha.  _"If I may ask, how is it that you're fine with the fact that you and Valerie now play on opposite sides?"_  Alex asked her.

 _"I don't see it like that. Val and I have a deeper history together. Everything that I am now, I owe to her. I know that even if she had left the life of crime behind, our friendship still remains. And I trust that she won't betray me, same way she trust me not to double cross her."_  Aretha said with a smile.  _"Now, how about we go back to the lair and brief the boys about our latest job? Time to get back to work!"_  Aretha said as she winked at Alex.

Just then, Alex's cell phone rang.  _"Uhm, you go ahead, Aretha. I'll catch up with you in a bit. I need to take this call."_ Alex said. She waited until Aretha was gone before she answered the phone. What she heard from the other line was the news she had been dreading for quite some time now.

* * *

~ _ **END OF CHAPTER ONE**_ ~

* * *

 **  
_  
_   
**

  


  


 


	2. CHAPTER TWO

* * *

By the time Alex got to the conference room, the briefing was almost done. Being a con artist, she had learned to hide her feelings from others quite well. All except from Aretha, who had been watching her intently since she had walked into the room. 

 

 _"Alright, Asher, I want you to find out everything you can about the Dupuis brothers and the microwave laser. Zeke, I want you to call Valerie Vega's office and coordinate with her people about the 'accommodations' they'll be providing for us while we are in Strasbourg. We'll reconvene here first thing tomorrow morning for the final details. Class dismissed."_  Aretha told the crew.  _"Except for you, Hunter! You get to stay. We need to talk."_  she added. 

 

 _"Uh oh! Sounds like trouble in paradise!"_ Nigel whispered.

 

Zeke nudged him in the rib.  _"Shut up, kid!"_  he told him. The boys left the conference room.

 

Aretha moved closer to Alex.  _"What's up? And don't even bother denying it! I can see it in your eyes! Something's wrong. Now tell me!"_  she pressed.

 

Alex hesitated at first, but she knew she couldn't hide anything from Aretha.  _"That was Hale on the phone. The verdict was in, regarding Neal's case. He was found guilty of bond forgery. They gave him a four-year sentence."_  she explained.

 

Aretha patted her on the shoulder and gave her a sympathetic nod.  _"Look, Alex, I know that this is difficult for you. I'd advice you to get him out of your head completely, but I also know that that's impossible since he's the father of your son. If you need some time to clear your head, just let me know. This mission is built for four people, but we can get by with three. Take some time off, we'll be fine."_  she said.

 

Alex shook her head.  _"No! You're right! I can't spend my life worrying about Neal Caffrey! I have duties to fulfill, a son to take care of, a job to do! I can do this! I'd be much better once I'm working on the field again!"_  she said empathically.

 

Aretha nodded in agreement.  _"Alright then. Go get some rest. I'll see you back here first thing tomorrow morning."_  They both left the lair and proceeded to their own rooms.

 

The next day, their plans for Strasbourg were finalized. Asher had all the information ready. He had made them fake passports and documents and their legends. Zeke had arranged for all the ' _equipments_ ' they'd be needing in Strasbourg, courtesy, of course, of the UNSC. Mostly ' _tools_ ' they're not allowed to have on the plane with them.

 

As Aretha was making her final points before their trip, Alex found it hard to concentrate. She tried to shake the thoughts of Neal away and focused her mind at the job at hand. Aretha asked her if she was alright.

 

She answered  _"I was just thinking how our lives would be so much easier if we_ _have a private jet!"_  She chuckled.

 

Asher quickly agreed and Zeke just groaned. Soon, they all proceeded to get ready for their trip. They packed all their necessities. Alex kissed her son goodbye before she left the manor.

 

* * *

 

 **STRASBOURG, FRANCE**

 

Their direct flight from Budapest to Strasbourg wasn't that long. They arrived in their hotel in a few hours. Valerie's office had somehow managed to reserve them two adjoining suites at the posh  **Hotel Regent Petite France**. Also waiting for them in Strasbourg was black van fully equipped with everything that they would need for their ' _assignment_ '. They have received information that the Dupuis brothers are staying at the nearby hotel, in the penthouse suite of the very expensive  **La R** _ **é**_ **sidence** _ **Jean-Sébastien Bach**_ _._ Clearly, provided for them by their Chinese contacts.

 

The next few days, the crew had spent on doing surveillance of the place. They needed to know the type of schedule that the Dupuis followed. The kind of people they hung out with, the kind of night life habits they have, if any. Alex also tried to stay out of plain sight, since the brothers Dupuis knows who she is. It might arouse their suspicions, and they can't have that.

 

Alex and Aretha planned their next move. They've decided on a simple breaking and entering, smash-and-grab type of job, with Alex on point and Zeke as back-up. Aretha and Asher stays in the van as look outs. It was supposed to be an easy job. They wait for Alain and Gilles to go to their favourite night club, as soon as they leave, they break into their suite, get the laptop back, and then get out before the brothers come back. Sounded easy enough. Alex had done dozens of those kind of jobs on her own, even without back up. She could break in and out of almost any kind of room blindfolded. That is, if her head was fully in the zone.

 

* * *

 

The night of the ' _assignment_ ' came, which Asher dubbed as Operation :  **Foolproof**. 

 

 _"Isn't that kinda jinxing it a bit, Ash?"_ Alex asked him. 

 

 _"Nope, I'm very hopeful that this assignment will be over soon and I will be back to watching episodes of **Doctor Who** in no time!" _Asher replied confidently. 

 

 _"Exercise cautious optimism, Ash! You never know what kind of surpise the future holds."_  Alex said cryptically.

 

She went back to preparing for the job. Alex was wearing her usual black leather cat burglar suit, with her belt bag containing her burglary kit. As per usual, they all have their com links on, not only for communications purposes, but also so that Asher could track all of their locations on the grid. Alex had her com link transceiver clipped on the collar of her jacket for easy access. Asher did a final sound check to make sure that all their earpiece communicators were working. After everything was all prepared, Alex said a silent prayer and went into the hotel.

 

 

In the beginning, everything went as planned. Alex broke into the Dupuis' penthouse suite. She went into the bedroom and found the case containing the laptop inside one of the drawers. 

 

 _Like I said, they're not very smart._ Alex thought. She was just about to grab the case when she heard Zeke's voice on the com link.

 

 _"Alex, get out of there now! The mission's been compromised! I repeat, get out of there right now!"_ he shouted.

 

Then she heard gunshots, followed by a few loud explosions from what sounded like grenades. As it turned out, the Dupuis didn't go to their usual night club hang out. They had gone to make the exchange with the Chinese. It seemed that they didn't like the terms of the deal so the Dupuis had walked away without handing over the ' _merchandize_ '. The Chinese, sensing a double cross, had followed them into their hotel and then riot ensued. With Zeke trapped in a gun battle with the Chinese agents a few flights below, Alex now had no back up against the dubious Dupuis brothers, who were fast approaching her location.

 

* * *

 

*Alex struggled to see through the thick smoke as she tried to find her way out of the room that was now engulfed in flames. She stopped in her tracks. Without warning, the sound of a single gunshot rang in the air. As she felt some of the bullet's impact on her left collar bone, Alex's body slammed against the wall, her head hitting hard against the concrete. Her body slumped to the floor. As she fought to stay conscious, she heard two male voices talking in French.

 

 _"Elle est morte. Allons-y!" ["She's dead. Let's go!"]_  the first voice said.  **Alain Dupuis** , she recognized that voice.

 

 _"Non, nous avons besoin obtenir l'ordinateur portable!" ["No, we need to get the laptop!"]_ the other voice said. That would be  **Gilles Dupuis** , Alain's equally crooked older brother. 

 

 _"Juste que le feu détruire ! Nous avons besoin de sortir d'ici, maintenant !" ["Just let the fire destroy it! We need to get out of here, now!"]_ the younger Dupuis yelled.

 

Alex heard them leave in a hurry. She tried to use her earpiece to call her team for help, but it wasn't working. She looked at the com link transceiver clipped on her jacket and saw that it was busted.

 

"Aretha!" she called before she lost consciousness.*

 

* * *

 

Back in the van, Asher and Aretha heard everything that was happening. They were trying to contact both Zeke and Alex on their earpieces. Zeke was busy fighting off the Chinese. They couldn't get any response from Alex. 

 

 _"She's off the grid, Aretha! Not even a blip on the radar!"_  Asher said in a panicked voice. 

 

 _"Keep trying! I'm going in!"_ Aretha replied as she was getting out of the van. She tried her earpiece as well.  _"Alex, can you hear me? Please say something!"_ she pleaded in a frantic voice.

 

Still no answer from Alex. She scrambled her way into the crowd that was trying to get out of the building. It was only a matter of time now before the authorities are called in to the scene. They needed to get out of there, FAST. Aretha proceeded to go to Zeke's location to give him assistance. She saw him struggling out of the building, coughing from all the smoke. 

 

 _"I shot four Chinese agents, they're still trapped inside! The Dupuis brothers got away. And I've lost contact with Alex! Sorry, boss!"_ Zeke said apologetically. 

 

 _"We need to find her fast, before the police get here!"_ Aretha said. She tried the com link again, but only silence from the other end answered her.

 

* * *

 

Back in the penthouse suite, Alex was starting to wake up. She rubbed the back of her head as she tried to remember where she was. Then she saw the fire around her and it all came back to her. 

 

 _The mission!_  she thought.

 

She crawled on the floor, careful not to inhale the smoke. Finally, she got to the drawer where the laptop case was located. She strapped it onto her back and tried to find her way out of the room. She found the door ajar and made her way through the corridor. The entire hallway leading to the emergency exit was engulfed in fire. That was clearly not the way out. She needed to think fast, or else she's going to die right there. And she can't let that happen. She had a little boy to come home to. She needed a plan, quickly, before it's too late.

 

She saw the fire hose reel nearby. Then she remembered that  **Bruce Willis**  movie Mozzie loved so much, he had to watch it every time it was on cable. 

 

 _Why not? I'm all out of options!_ Alex thought.

 

She smashed the glass and pulled the fire hose out and went back inside the penthouse suite. She picked up a chair and then smashed the window. She used the fire hose as a rope and tied it around her midsection. She went out the ledge and tried not to look down.

 

 _Here goes nothing!_ she thought. She closed her eyes and then jumped. As she fell, she screamed,  _"Yippee ki-yay!-"_ Her yell was cut short, so did her fall.

 

The fire hose wasn't long enough and she was still dangling at least twenty feet above the ground. The metal part of the hose was starting to dig into her ribs. She undid the knot and began to fall. With a loud crash, she landed on the roof of a sedan.

 

* * *

 

On the ground, her fellow crew members had been frantically trying to find a way to get her out, while trying to get people out of the burning building. All of a sudden, they heard a female voice yell, followed by a loud crashing sound nearby. Then they saw Alex emerge out of the rubble, dusting herself off as if nothing had happened. 

 

 _"Damn, Alex! Did you just **Spider-Man** ned your way out of that building?" _Zeke asked, seemingly quite impressed. 

 

 _"Nah, I ' **John McClane** d' my way out!" _Alex replied with a sly grin. Then she saw Aretha coming her way.

 

 _"Damn it , Alex! New rule : If you're alive, you answer me when I call you on your com link!"_ she said angrily. 

 

 _"I couldn't!"_ Alex answered as she pointed at her com link transceiver. It had a bullet in it.  _"Dupuis shot me! Good thing that's the only thing damaged!"_  she continued.

Then Alex saw Asher come out of the van.  _"Hey, Ash, think fast!"_ Without warning, she threw the laptop case to their resident nerd. 

 

 _"You got the laptop?"_ Asher asked incredulously. 

 

 _"Hell yeah, I got the laptop! Now, do your thing, Poindexter!"_ she teased their young crew member.

 

Sirens were blaring from a distance. They made sure that no one else were remained trapped inside and everyone made it out alright. They proceeded to get in to the van, when Aretha noticed Alex winced. There was obviously more to her injuries than she had let on. Alex had her hands on her ribs as she walked. Then, there was the trickle of blood coming down Alex's right temple.

 

 _"Alex, you're bleeding! We need to have you get checked out!"_  Aretha said worriedly. 

 

 _"No! No hospitals! It's too dangerous! I'm alright!"_  Alex replied.

 

The sound of sirens were becoming louder. A signal that they needed to get out of there in a hurry. They helped Alex into the van. 

 

 _"Okay, we're taking you back to the hotel. Zeke, get some medical supplies from the pharmacy! Asher and I can handle the exchange!"_ Aretha ordered as Asher drove the van away from the crime scene as fast as he could without attracting any unwanted attention.

 

Unbeknownst to Aretha and her crew, they were already being watched from a distance. Not far away from them was another black van. The driver waited a short while before he started to follow them wherever they were headed.

 

* * *

~ **END OF CHAPTER TWO** ~

* * *

 **  
_  
_   
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 Footnotes :
> 
> *Alex Hunter's weakness, as always, is Neal Caffrey. Remember, when she gave birth prematurely when she found out about the FBI closing in on Neal? Her mind gets distracted and her body panics at the mere mention of his name. I wouldn't go so far as to say that she is still in love with him, but there's a deep bond between them since he is Nicholas' father.
> 
> *A direct flight from Budapest to Strasbourg only takes about an hour.
> 
> *Doctor Who is a long-running BBC programme popular amongst tech geeks and sci-fi nerds alike. I'm a huge fan of the show.
> 
> *In case you haven't figured it out, the name of the Bruce Willis movie was "Die Hard". Mozzie quoted some lines and was wearing the 'John McClane' attire when he pretended to be a mental patient in "Vital Signs".
> 
> ***Thank you kindly for taking time to read this chapter! This one was so much fun to write! Hope you enjoyed it!***


	3. CHAPTER THREE

* * *

Asher and Aretha dropped Alex and Zeke back to the hotel. After that, Aretha had Asher look into the contents of the laptop, if it did in fact contained the recently stolen operating system for a microwave laser. Asher verified that it was indeed the laptop they were hired to retrieve, and they proceeded to the location where they were supposed to make the exchange. They received a message that the rendezvous would take place in a church,  _ **Église Sainte-Madeleine**_ _._ The two then headed off to to the designated location in hopes that it will all be over soon and they could all go home.

* * *

Back in their suite, Alex had just gotten out of the bathroom after soaking her sore body in the tub for almost an hour. Zeke had gone to the pharmacy nearby the hotel to get some medical supplies. Now wearing a grey tracksuit, Alex lied down on the bed and waited for her crew members to return. Her head hurt and almost every muscle of her body ached. She turned on the television to check if their little adventure had made the local news, which it did. She was glad to know that nobody had died in the incident. Twenty-three people with minor injuries but no fatalities, the news anchor reported. No reports about any Chinese casualties so it was safe to assume that they have managed to flee the crime scene as well. Alex thought back on the incident, trying to remember if there was anything that she had missed, or anything that she could have done differently, that would have changed the outcome of the events that had transpired. She had been too distracted lately. Now, too many doubts and ' _what ifs_ ' were running through her head.

Moments later, Alex heard someone knocking at the door. She got up, turned the tv off and went to the door. Instead of opening it, she peek into the door's peephole to see who it was. She knew that it wasn't any of her crew member, for they all have keys. She saw that it was a hotel attendant, or someone dressed as one, with a cart of food. She knew for a fact that none of them orders room service in a hotel, as they were always careful not to let strangers into their rooms. Only one conclusion came to mind.

 _It's a trap!_  Alex thought.

Alex tried to think of quick escape route. At the current state she was in, she was under no condition to pull another daredevil stunt similar to what she did earlier back at the penthouse suite. There was another knock on the door, only this time, it was more demanding and forceful.

Then came that familiar male voice who shouted,  _"Open up, Hunter! We know you're in there!"_  followed by another series of loud banging on the door.

 _Shit!_  Alex cursed.

She knew exactly who it was on the other side of the door. All those years, she had managed to elude that man dozens of times, until tonight. She looked for an alternative way out of there, but failed to see one. She finally resigned herself to the fact that she was trapped and that she needed help. She sent a quick text message to Zeke, warning him of the situation, and told him to stay away from the hotel. Right after she pushed the ' _SEND_ ' button, came a loud crashing sound. She quickly threw her phone out the window, hoping that Zeke got the message.

Just then, six men from outside had busted in, one of them she knew quite well.

 _"Freeze, Hunter! Hands where I can see 'em!"_  said the pudgy man with a cheesy mustache, dressed in very expensive  **Brioni**  suit.

Alex did as ordered as she looked into the eyes of the man who had been after her for years.  _"Agent Doogie! Long time no see!"_  she said dryly.

 **Douglas Buckley** , aka ' _Agent Doogie_ ', was an American agent for the  **International Criminal Police Organization** who had been obsessed with catching her for years.

 _"What's the Interpol doing in these neck of the woods?"_  she asked coyly.

 _"Don't get cute! Alexandra Hunter, you're under arrest!"_  Agent Buckley mirandized her, while an officer from the local Strasbourg police put the handcuffs on her. Then she was led out of the suite, out of the hotel and into a black vehicle waiting outside.

 _Come on, Aretha! You're my only hope!_  Alex silently prayed.

* * *

Back in the van, Asher and Aretha were waiting to see who showed up for the exchange. They stayed inside the van, which was parked not too far away from the church. Then, they saw a car pull up in front of the church's porch. They didn't recognize the people who came out of the car, which quickly roused Aretha's suspicions. She then dialed a number she knew by heart, which was answered by a familiar voice with a Spanish accent.

 _"Hello, Aretha? Is something wrong?"_  Valerie worriedly asked.

 _"Hey there, Val. Sorry to call you this late. Just wanted to verify the names of the_ _people you sent here to pick up the 'merchandize'."_ Aretha said.

 _"What people? I haven't sent anyone! My office never got any messages from you or your crew about an exchange tonight!"_ Valerie said in a panicked voice.  _" I'd advice you to get out of there now! It's a trap!"_  she added.

Aretha agreed and she hung up the phone.  _"Let's go, Asher! It's a set up!"_  Aretha ordered Asher. Just then, her phone rang. It was Zeke.  _"Zeke. What's going on?"_  she asked.

 _"Bad news, Aretha! I just got a text message from Alex. Interpol agents busted into the suite. They arrested Hunter!"_  Zeke informed her.

Aretha shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.  _God! When will this day end?_  she thought.  _"Where are you now?"_  she asked out loud.

 _"I'm at the parking lot of the hotel."_  Zeke replied.  _"Don't go anywhere. We'll be there soon!"_  Aretha ordered.

* * *

After they picked up Zeke, they tried to think of a plan to get Alex out. They never bothered going back to their suite since they didn't leave anything in there that was of any value. Everything they needed were inside the van, which now served as their temporary operations center. Zeke served as the lookout, he made sure that they weren't being watched. Asher clicked away in his computer as he tried to find out where Alex was being held.

As it turned out, she was arrested and officially booked at the local Strasbourg police station. Afterwards, she was released into the custody of the Interpol agent in charge of her case, and was now neing kept in an undisclosed location. Aretha placed another call to Valerie to brief her about everything that had just transpired. Valerie told her the name of Alex's ICPO arresting agent, and promised Aretha that her office will be coordinating with ICPO headquarters regarding the matter.

 _"Asher, tell me you found her!"_  Aretha said after she had hung up the phone.

 _"Just hang on, one more second! There! Hah!"_  Asher shouted excitedly.  _"It took me a while, but I've remotely reactivated the tracking device that I put in her shoes!"_  he continued.

After a few more clicks, he said,  _"Found her! She's being held at the Villa Novarina. Not too far away from here!"_  he exclaimed.

 _"Good work! Valerie did say that Alex was being held in one of the Interpol safe houses here in Strasbourg, pending their trip back to Interpol HQ in Lyon, France in the morning."_  she sighed.  _"Okay, new assignment! Find out everything you can about a certain Agent Douglas Buckley! I mean everything!"_  she ordered Asher.

 _"Agent Douglas Buckley, gotcha! Is he the one who has Alex?"_  he asked.

Aretha nodded.  _"Apparently, he's been obsessed with catching Alex for years!"_  she said. She turned to Zeke.  _"Zeke, I want you to 'retrieve' a couple of things_ _for me!"_  she said.

 _"What is it?"_  Zeke asked her.

 _"For now, let's just call them 'bargaining chips'!"_  Aretha said as she let Zeke in on her plan.

* * *

First thing in the morning, the rest of the crew were good to go. Aretha briefed her team on what was about to go down. Asher had all of Agent Buckley's information ready for her. Before she went in, Asher handed her a portable video player containing some very incriminating evidence against Buckley. Zeke had their ' _bargaining chips_ ' ready on standby. He had wanted to go with Aretha inside as back up, but was ordered to remain outside.

 _"No, this bastard is mine!"_  Aretha said in a wicked tone.

Aretha went inside the villa alone.

 _"Anyone in here whose name is NOT Agent Douglas Buckley would do well to get out of here right now!"_  she said as she announced her presence.

She didn't see Alex anywhere, so she assumed that they were holding her in one of the rooms upstairs. The other two agents were on alert, but Agent Buckley waved them off.

 _"Leave us!"_  he ordered.  _"Well, if it isn't the great Margaretha Deveraux!"_  he said after they were finally alone.  _"I take it, that you're here for your friend, Alex Hunter? Well, you can forget it! I'm taking her back with me to Interpol HQ! You may have_ _had your little deal with the UNSC, but that immunity only applies to you! Not your crew!"_  he scoffed.

Aretha glared at him.  _"See, you have me at a slight disadvantage here, Agent Buckley. You know me, but I don't know you. Well, I didn't, up until a few hours ago."_  she said as she moved closer to Buckley.  _"And what I found out about you made my stomach turn!"_  Aretha continued in an icy tone.

Buckley just waved his hand off to dismiss her.  _"I don't care what you think you may have on me! It pales in comparison to what Hunter had done in the past!"_  he shouted angrily.

 _"Allegedly! None of it was ever proven! Hear says do not count as facts! Don't forget that!"_  Aretha said in a steady voice.

 _"Allegedly, my ass! She had been linked to the sudden 'disappearances' of numerous expensive works of arts from all over the world!_ _ **René Magritte's**_ _painting_ _ **, 'Olympia'**_ _,_   _stolen from the_ _ **Jette Museum**_   _in Belgium. The_ _ **Salvador Dali**_   _sculpture,_ _ **'Lady with Drawers'**_ _, stolen from the_ _ **Belfort Museum**_   _in Brugge. The_ _ **Edgar Degas**_   _painting, '_ _ **The Chorus'**_ _stolen from the_ _ **Marseille Museum**_ _._ _The_ _ **Vincent Van Gogh**_   _painting,_ _ **'Vase and Flowers'**_ _stolen from the_ _ **Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum**_   _in Giza, Egypt. Do you want me to continue?"_  he asked angrily.

Aretha shook her head.  _"No need. But you failed to mentioned one thing. The most important thing, well, to you, at least. I know you're not really after her because of the art works she 'allegedly' stolen. Those were very expensive, yes. But what you're really after is something 'priceless', something you believe that Alex Hunter has in her possession."_  Aretha said as she studied Buckley's reaction carefully.

She noticed that Buckley grew interested in what she had just said.  _"You want the_ _ **Alva Varden diamond**_ _, that priceless necklace that was part of the_ _ **Princess Sophia treasure**_ _! The huge, flawless diamond that legend said Adolf Hitler had given to his mistress, Alva Varden, as a gift. The same one that was lost at sea when the Princess Sophia sank decades ago."_  she said without taking her eyes off of the agent.  _"That caught your attention, didn't it? Well, don't get excited just yet! I'm not about to hand it over to you! I'm not daft! See, I know your kind, Agent Douglas Buckley! You catch thieves and you force them to tell you the location of the stolen goods. Then, you 'dispose' of your suspects, make it look like an 'accident' or 'self-defense'. After that, you either collect the reward money from the owners or fence the merchandize yourself. You, Agent Buckley, are nothing but a glorified pirate! The kind who hides behind a badge!"_  she said, her tone dripping with disdain.  _"You do what you have to, even murder someone, just for money!"_  she hissed. She saw Buckley blanched.

 _"I don't know what you're talking about, bitch!"_  he yelled.

 _"Oh, well, this BITCH has proof of you murdering someone in cold blood! You might remember a man from_ _ **Austria**_ _named Greger Schmidt. He had a map to the location of the lost war treasures of_ _ **Dachau**_ _. You killed him and took the map, only to find out that the map was a fake!"_  she answered back.

She took out the portable video player that Asher had given her earlier and hit the ' _PLAY_ ' button as she showed it to the corrupt agent. It played a recorded video feed from a surveillance camera. The video showed a man in his thirties, being roughed up by Buckley's goons inside what seemed like a interrogation room. Moments later, it showed Buckley, clear as day, as he pulled out his gun and shot the man three times in the back of the head. He ordered his goons dispose of the corpse. Then, it showed Buckley move towards the camera, took out a handkerchief and proceeded to remove the tape. The screen went blank afterwards.

Aretha watched as Buckley's face turned all white. "See, y _ou may have a number of researchers on your team. I only needed a 22 year-old computer genius who has problems with authority. I will give you points for taking the tape to cover up your crime."_  she said.  _"But next time, if you're going to keep incriminating evidence against yourself, do NOT hide it on your own laptop! You stupid, stupid man!"_ she mocked him.

She circled around the pudgy agent, now sitting down, still staring at the blank screen.  _"Oi! Look at me!"_  she tried to get his attention, her English accent now more pronounced as her anger seeped out.  _"You can keep that, I've made copies for safe keeping!"_ she said.

She grabbed his face.  _"Here is what's going to happen. You will release Alex Hunter to me. You will forget about pursuing Alex completely. If you as much as cast a shadow in her direction, a copy of the video goes to your superiors. If anything bad happens to Alex, I will come after you. You said earlier that you know who I am. Well, I'm guessing that you know what I'm capable of as well. You ever mess with what's me or mine in any way, shape or form, I know where you live! And if you really do know me, that alone should scare you, you feckless thug! Because I am that one MONSTER you do not want knocking at your door!"_  she warned him in a malevolent tone.

She pushed the nervous man back to his chair.  _"Now tell your men I want my friend in here, NOW!"_  she demanded.

Buckley radioed his agent to bring Alex downstairs, which they soon did. Aretha checked to make sure that Alex was alright. Then she used her earpiece to tell Zeke to come in with the ' _bargaining chips_ '. Zeke came inside, dragging the Dupuis brothers with him. Gilles and Alain both looked battered and bruised, for they fought and struggled with Zeke earlier when Zeke 'retrieved' the two of them.

 _"There you go!"_  Aretha said.  _"You can bring those two back to Lyon with you. We can't have you going back to ICPO headquarters empty-handed! That would look suspicious!"_  she stated.

With that Aretha, Alex and Zeke proceeded to leave the villa. Aretha stopped and turned back to Buckley.  _"Oh, and it would be wise for you and your men not to follow us again this time! For your own well-being, and all that!"_  she said. Then she left with her crew.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Alex and her crew were on a plane headed back to Budapest. Alex thanked them, especially Aretha, for coming to her rescue.

 _"Don't mention it!'_  said Zeke

 _"We're family. We stick together!"_  said Asher.

As they were all settled in on their seats in first class, Alex turned to Aretha.  _"I mean it! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!"_  she said to Aretha  _"And I'm so sorry for screwing up so bad in this case. It won't happen again, you have my word!"_  she promised.

 _"Oh, Alex! None of this was your fault!"_  Aretha reassured her.

 _"No, my head wasn't in the game! If I weren't so distracted, this whole matter would've come out with a different result!"_  Alex replied.

 _"Look at me, Alex! None of us blames you. This whole case was just a big pile of one bad surprise after another. You had no control over that!"_  Aretha said. She continued,  _"But, while we're on the subject. As I've said earlier, I can't fault you for worrying over Neal. But maybe, as time pass by, you should learn to live your own life. I'm not asking you to forget about him completely. I just want to remind you that your son needs you more."_  She squeezed Alex's hand.

Alex nodded and they waited in silence for their plane to reach their destination.

* * *

 **BACK TO VADZEL MANOR, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY**

They all got back to Hungary safe and sound. Asher and Aretha had gone out to meet with Valerie to hand the laptop over to her, officially this time. Alex now had just finished singing Nicholas to sleep and kissed him goodnight. As she stood there staring at her sleeping son, she thought back on the events that happened back in Strasbourg. What Aretha had said earlier was right. She needed to get Caffrey out of her head.

 _Easier said than done!_  she thought _._

She recalled those precious times they had with each other back in the day. Neal Caffrey was like a drug, and boy, did she got hooked. She had learned to live her life by his side, on his side. And she was very happy when they were together. Then, Alex remembered the first time Neal had ended their relationship years ago. One of the most painful, heartbreaking moments of her life. She remembered not being able to get out of bed for days, just locked herself inside her room where she preferred to exist in alternating states of extreme emotional pain followed by dead-like numbness.

Her heartache over Neal Caffrey had almost destroyed her once. Somehow, she found the strength to rise above it. And as she watched Nicholas sleep, she knew that her little boy is the one she draws her strength from as of late. She knew what she needed to do, she needed to put any thoughts of Neal at the back of her mind. He is the least of her priorities now.

 _I need to do this, for my son's sake!_ she thought.

For she knew, when it all comes down to a choice between Neal Caffrey and Nicholas Hunter, Nicholas will always come first.

* * *

~ _ **FINI**_ ~

* * *

 _ **Footnotes**_  :

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 Footnotes :
> 
> *Église Sainte-Madeleine or Sainte-Madeleine Church was the first convent in Strasbourg to be dedicated to Mary Magdalene.
> 
> *Agent Douglas Buckley is Alex's very own version of a corrupt Peter Burke.
> 
> *All the expensive pieces of art work mentioned were really stolen in real life, just not by Alex Hunter! =D
> 
> *The Princess Sophia treasure was partly true, although there was no Alva Varden diamond. I made that part up.
> 
> *In this story, we get a rare glimpse to Aretha's past. She is NOT really that nice, especially if anyone that she cares about are threatened. From the moment I introduce her character, it's been said that she is a valuable asset to various international organizations. Someone as skilled as that, you can surely bet that she can be a very dangerous enemy. And a very good friend to have on your side.
> 
> *So there it goes. My take on how Alex was arrested in France. As Jones explained in "Home Invasion", the charges were mysteriously dropped and that Alex has powerful friends.
> 
> *I chose to write Alex's little trip down memory lane as vaguely as possible, since I haven't seen the flashback episode yet.
> 
> ***Thanks for taking time to read this story. Hope you enjoyed it!***

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter One Footnotes :
> 
> *Thought I'd do something different and write a cliffhanger beginning.
> 
> *Fans know that Alex Hunter had only been arrested once in France. (WC s01 e11 – Home Invasion) This is my version of that story.
> 
> *Strasbourg is the capital city of the Alsace region of north-eastern France.
> 
> *Valerie Vega is Aretha's mentor and old friend, which is who Aretha is now to Alex. Valerie taught Aretha everything she knew, Aretha is teaching Alex what she'd learned from Valerie. Like one generation passing on the torch, so to speak, onto the next generation, and so on. Also, a bit of foreshadowing. Valerie had gone legit and yet Aretha had remained friends with her. Same as in the future, when Neal eventually went FED and yet Alex and Mozzie are still friends with him.
> 
> *I don't really know much about laser technology. What I know about lasers, I've learned from watching sci-fi tv programmes and films.
> 
> ***Many thanks for taking time to read this chapter. Stay tuned to find out what happens next!***


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